Video Highlights:
0:25 Make sure good firewood is being used
0:33 Have the proper materials ready
0:43 Building a top down/log cabin fire method
1:00 Concept of the Log Cabin Method
1:14 Layering for a Log Cabin fire
You think that you have started the perfect fire and then turn around a few minutes later just to realize that your roaring fire has flamed or smoldered out. I am Melissa from NorthlineExpress and I know exactly how frustrating that situation can be! Each wood burner has their own secret method for building the perfect fire that will take right off and burn for hours and in this video I will share a few best practice that will help you learn to build the perfect fire in your fireplace every time!
First off make sure that you are using good wood. You can attempt to build the perfect fire all day long but it is all wasted effort if the wood you burn is wet, green or rotted. The next thing to make sure of is that you have the right materials to build your perfect fire. You will need kindling, fire starters, newspaper, and various sizes of firewood.
Today I am going to be demonstrating building and burning a top down or log cabin fire, a method adopted in the early 1900’s. Conventional wisdom might dictate starting your fire underneath your logs; heat travels up, right? But there is good evidence that suggests you should actually build your fires from the top down, layering smaller pieces on top of a base made of larger logs. This way, helps the fire grow hotter and hotter and gradually work its way down to the larger pieces of wood, leaving you with a hot base of large logs on which you can stack more firewood.
The basic method goes like this:
– First stack the largest pieces of wood on your grate, parallel and close together
– Second stack smaller pieces in a second layer with close spacing, crossways to the first layer
– Third layer still smaller pieces crossways to the second layer, this time with some spaces between
– Fourth loosely layer various size kindling and twisted newspaper sheets and top off the pile
– Then, take one more newspaper twist, light it and place it on top of the kindling.
The rest of the newspaper and fine kindling will quickly ignite, turning the whole top layer into a hot, smokeless fire. As the fire spreads downward, each successive layer sends its gases streaming upward through flames that consume them before they can reach the flue. That is a great thing when you think about creosote buildup from condensation of flue gasses. Also you will be left with nothing to do but sit back and enjoy your perfect fire!
I hope that you have found this information helpful but if you have questions about starting your fire or choosing a fire starter you can call us at 866-667-8454. At NorthlineExpress, home of the “Buy and Try” satisfaction guarantee, we are always happy to help.